To celebrate the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the United States as a realized freedom in this country has always been and continues to be a battle. This freedom is at the heart of racist hate crimes perpetrated by Whites upon Black Americans and the murders of nine Black Americans inside their church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a White Supremacist, are only one grim example of that struggle.

Guests
Amrita Chakrabarti Myers is Associate Professor of History and Gender Studies at Indiana University and author of Forging Freedom: Black Women and the Pursuit of Liberty in Antebellum Charleston. Amrita joins us via a pre-recorded conversation I had with her on June 18th.

Amira Millicent Davis holds a PhD from the University of Illinois-Urbana in Educational Policy Studies with a concentration in African American Studies and an EdM in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on culturally-centered curriculum and pedagogy. Her research interests are community-based, multigenerational arts and literacy programs, critical theory, Black women’s gender theories, and performance as public pedagogy. She’s a warrior mother, grandmother, and community mother; arts-activist, and educator.

Next Week
Next week on Interchange, “The Essential Ellen Willis.” We’ll explore the thought and writing of The New Yorker magazine’s first Rock Critic and the cofounder of the radical feminist group the Redstockings, Ellen Willis. Her essays have been described as always unsettling, combining passion and moral clarity, espresso for the feminist soul, and as relevant as ever with a continuing influence on critics of American culture today. We’re joined by Nona Willis Aronowitz to discuss the writings of her mother, Ellen Wills, next Tuesday on Interchange.

Cartoonist Nate Powell has become one of the most recognized names in the graphic novel industry. Born in Arkansas and eventually making his way to Bloomington, Powell makes stops in New York and other cities operating an indie record label, fronts for a combination punk band and puppet show, and
works with the developmentally disabled. His latest graphic novel, called March: Book One, is the story of civil rights pioneer and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. Powell spoke with correspondent Michael Glab for this feature report, the first of a series jointly produced by WFHB and The Ryder Magazine.